49ers Owner Says Offseason Decisions To Say Goodbye 17 Players Are Tied To Major Brock Purdy Deal

After deciding to say goodbye to 17 players in the offseason through free agency, trade or release, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York has said that his offseason philosophy is tied to a payday coming for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

2024 was a disappointing season for Purdy and the 49ers, finishing 6-11 after entering the year with the highest over/under win total at 11.5. Injuries and inconsistency led to a dip in production from Purdy. Despite the drop, York has remained adamant that Purdy is the future of the 49ers, telling reporters on Tuesday that he believes Purdy is a top-10 quarterback.

“I think he is,” York said. “I think he’s great. Especially when you combine him with Kyle [Juszczyk] and you combine him with what we have, he’s a heck of a quarterback. We want him to be here for a long, long time.”

The 49ers have lost several key starters in anticipation of paying Purdy. Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Deebo Samuel are among the key pieces for the 49ers who have found new homes.

Many fans online believe York’s approach to the offseason has been “cheap,” despite the 49ers being toward the top of the NFL in spending for the past five years. San Francisco has the highest amount of dead money in the NFL, with over $80 million going to players who are no longer on the team’s roster.

While there is nothing finalized yet, York told ESPN that “conversations with Brock have been great.” York did not put a timeline on when he expects the deal with Purdy to be finalized.

When a deal with Purdy is eventually signed, he will likely become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL in 49ers history.